I know some people reading this might see the word “baby” in the title and automatically assume it has to do with me – but alas, it does not! No babies for me over here. However, I’ve been spending a lot of time with babies, particularly my cousin’s adorable 4-month old, who you can oggle at below…

Baby Mia!

…And also in helping to plan a co-worker’s surprise baby shower. Both have been daunting tasks since I have little to no baby experience, but I think I’ve done well!

At any rate, after work on Wednesday I got right down to business as I had plans to make some hummus, cake balls, and the most amazing and delicious looking chocolate chip cookie, Oreo cookie, and brownie combo-dealy. Oh yes, you read that correctly. I had grand plans to celebrate National Running Day, but with all the work ahead of me, plus the tornado watches that were in effect, I figured I didn’t want to risk being taken away Dorothy & Toto style.

Last time I attempted cake balls they tasted fine, but they were far from pretty. A combination of not having enough chocolate to coat them and not really knowing what I was doing were the major factors. After doing some research for proper ball-coating techniques (insert giggles here), I decided to give it another shot. While these came out much better than my last attempt, they are still far from perfect. I’m thinking next time I’ll try candy melts instead of chocolate, actually buy lollipop sticks, and take a little more care when mixing the cake with the frosting.

I also made Kevin & Amanda’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie ‘n Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar… try and say that three times fast! There really aren’t any words to describe this aside from unbelievably awesome. Seriously, how could something that combines chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, and fudgey brownies all in one not be amazing? I figured it would be a ton of work to combine all of that together, but it really wasn’t. It also helped that everything I was making (cake balls and dinner) needed to be cooked at the same temperature. Perfect multitasking! Just look at the layers of deliciousness – you need to go and make these…

I also made some homemade hummus and paired it with some pita just to try and prevent a complete sugar overload. Another co-worker brought in a cheese & olive plate, which was also a huge hit. At the end of the day I think (and hope!) my manager was pleasantly surprised not only by the shower, but also with the gifts and yummy goodies we gave her. She’s due in July, and I can’t wait to meet her baby! Plus, everyone else in the office was impressed with my treats, and it’s always nice to hear positive feedback!